I stopped buying Raspberry Pis since refurbished mini PCs cost the same and do far more
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A home-lab hobbyist explains why they switched from Raspberry Pi boards to refurbished mini PCs. Once you add a power supply, storage, and case, a Pi 5 build costs about $181, roughly the same as a $180 refurbished mini PC. The mini PC offers a multicore x86 CPU, upgradeable RAM and NVMe/SATA drives, Intel Quick Sync hardware transcoding, and the ability to run Proxmox with multiple VMs and containers without the Pi's freezing issues under Docker workloads. Raspberry Pi still wins for GPIO-based sensor projects, camera modules, and low-power always-on tasks thanks to single-digit watt power draw, but for general self-hosted services the mini PC is now the better value.
Table of contents
The sticker price on Raspberry Pi isn’t the final costThe spec sheet explains the difference in price between the twoBuying a refurbished mini PC still requires some homeworkA Raspberry Pi is still the right call for purpose-built projectsQuestions this post answers
Is it cheaper to build a Raspberry Pi 5 home server setup or buy a refurbished mini PC?
A complete Raspberry Pi 5 build costs about $181 once you add a 27W USB-C power supply ($12), an NVMe SSD ($40), and an Argon One V3 M.2 case ($49) on top of the $80 board, which is roughly the same as a $180 refurbished mini PC. The mini PC offers a multicore x86 CPU, upgradeable RAM, and hardware-accelerated transcoding via Intel Quick Sync, making it the better value for running Docker containers, Proxmox VMs, or media servers. daily.dev surfaces home lab hardware comparisons for anyone weighing a Pi build against a mini PC.
Why does my Raspberry Pi 5 freeze when running multiple Docker containers like Pi-hole?
The Raspberry Pi 5's limited CPU and memory headroom struggles with running multiple Docker containers simultaneously, causing freezing and sluggish performance under stacks like Pi-hole combined with other services. A refurbished mini PC with a multicore x86 processor and dedicated memory controller handles the same workload alongside a media server with hardware-accelerated transcoding without issue. Track home lab hardware limitations and workarounds on daily.dev before your next Docker deployment.
When should I still choose a Raspberry Pi over a mini PC for a home project?
A Raspberry Pi remains the better choice for projects needing GPIO pins for sensors, camera modules via HAT, or lightweight always-on background monitoring like home network tasks. Its power draw stays in the single digits of watts and it can even run off a power bank, while mini PCs have a higher idle power draw that adds to long-term running costs. daily.dev helps hobbyists compare hardware trade-offs when picking between a Pi and a mini PC.